Not So Different
by YoungFool
Summary: On the night of THE BEACH, Ty Lee notices Zuko outside in the middle of the night and decides to see if he's okay. What ensues is not only a long conversation that completely changes one's opinion of the other, but also a new beginning. One-Shot. Rated K.


**I wrote this for my favorite pairing, Ty Luko! It's just an idea I had for a one-shot, so I decided, why not just write it? I love how it came out.**

**There just isn't enough love for this ship as should be.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, although I wish I did.**

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**This takes place on the night of **_**The Beach.**_

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**Not So Different**

Grunting and sweating, Fire Prince Zuko pushed himself farther and farther. He was not sure why, but there were many reasons. He was angry, not only at himself, but at many things. He needed to practice if he wanted to stay at his sister's level, or better yet, surpass it.

He let out bursts of flame from one fist, following through on a punching motion, the searing orange fire burning a defenseless shrub to ashes. That was for being forced on this pathetic excuse for a vacation. He shot another ball of fire at another shrub, it meeting the same fate as its other. That was for Mai breaking up with him. He shot one more, this one at a group of shrubs. That one was for his regretted decision of betraying his uncle about a month or so ago. This next time, he pumped his fists into the air and scorched the clear night air with two massive waves of flame, letting out a scream to satisfy his aching heart. That was for his own stupid self.

In a room on the upper level of Lo and Li's beach house, a bubbly acrobat had trouble falling asleep. There were many reasons for this discomfort and Ty Lee thought of them as she tossed and turned in her bed. She had felt terrible all day long despite being overly excited about the idea of spending the weekend on Ember Island. Azula had hurt her and made her cry. Zuko had made fun of her and made her cry. And remembering the pain she felt from her undesirable childhood, and even making it known to her friends, made her heart ache even more.

The young girl was distracted from sleep even more so when she heard loud grunts, likely masculine she figured, from outside her open window. Why she left the window open, she did not know. But she wasn't cold so she decided not to close it. She got up anyways to see what was going on outside. She laid her eyes upon Zuko's form, firebending into the night. The way he controlled his body and the way he shot flames made it seem as if he were fighting someone. Unknown to Ty Lee, he _was_ fighting someone. Someone within himself.

Analyzing further with the help of the glowing flames, Ty Lee made the figure out to be Zuko and wondered why he was doing what he was, especially at this time of night. She felt concern over the matter because she still considered Zuko a friend despite the way he behaved towards her earlier. She cringed at the sound of Zuko letting out a pain-filled scream while shooting up two massive waves of fire. She decided she would sneak down and try to comfort him as best she could. She wanted to know what was wrong with him. Mai and Azula would probably wake up if he kept at it.

Ty Lee slipped out of her room, wearing nothing but a pink robe and slippers. She carefully, making sure she did not make a sound, made her way across the hallway to the stairs. She saw that Mai and Azula's doors were still closed, a good sign for her. Creeping through the silent house, she found herself at the door which swayed open without making much noise.

Zuko continued firebending, and upon hearing someone sneakily approaching him from behind, he swiftly turned around and blasted the air in front of Ty Lee. Though the flames didn't reach her, she screamed as she felt the immense heat of the prince's rage-filled flame.

"What do you want?" the scarred boy demanded. His commanding voice let Ty Lee know that he had no time for being treated like a child. But the girl didn't care. He stared at her with a serious face.

"Zuko…are you okay?" Ty Lee responded in a low, scared voice.

"I'm fine," Zuko replied. "You can go"

"You don't seem fine" the acrobat pressed.

"Don't concern yourself over me" the boy spoke.

"But I want to"

"Why?"

"Because you're one of my closest friends"

"Then you must not have many friends" Zuko shot at her. Ty Lee stood with her mouth open, at a loss of words. Insult after insult he threw at her all day long. Maybe he didn't consider them to be friends the way she did. His facial expression softened slightly when he looked at Ty Lee's face. For the third time that day, it seemed as if she was about to let the tears drop.

"W-why…are you so mean to me?" the girl asked through choked words. She felt a tear roll down her cheek but made no move to wipe it away. This boy just didn't seem to like her. Or at least she thought so.

"Well…why do you consider me such a great friend?"

"Why not? We've been friends since…we were kids back home. We used to play together all the time and everything was great"

"That was a long time ago. Times have changed. I have changed. There is no more fun and games, especially for me. I have life harder than anyone while you've got nothing to worry about!" he near yelled, not so much at her but more so to stress his point.

"I'm sorry…but you can at least try to enjoy your life, can't you?"

"Fighting a one hundred year war permits no time for childish things like that"

"It's not childish. It's good for you"

"Say whatever you want. I'm busy, so you can excuse yourself" Zuko dismissed.

"I'm not leaving" Ty Lee spoke, not afraid of the boy's potential reactions.

"Fine…you can just fit there for all I care" he scoffed and went back to manipulating his great embers.

Ty Lee said nothing for a while, but watched the boy punish his body further and further. "Why are you doing this? You're hurting yourself"

"You don't know, okay," he started. "You have no idea what I'm going through"

"That's why I'm asking" Ty Lee pointed out.

"Why am I so important to you?" he asked seriously, starting into the girl's cool, gray eyes with the hard, amber ones of his own.

"Zuko," she started, making sure she had his complete attention, and continued when she did. "You might not like me so much or even think of me as a friend but I'm not the type of person to let someone who used to be one of my best friends go"

"You are…my friend" Zuko spoke hesitantly. The words brought a smile upon the girl's face.

"That's great!" Ty Lee revealed. Zuko said nothing, but didn't wear the angered look upon his anymore. "Zuko?"

"What is it?"

"Can I talk to you?"

"You mean what you're doing right now?" he said sarcastically. His arms hung loosely at his sides and the sweat covering his forehead glistened by the moon's slight glimmer.

"No silly," Ty Lee giggled. "I mean as in we sit down and talk without any of your smart remarks"

"About what?"

"A lot of things. I haven't gotten the chance to talk to you since you came back home" Ty Lee answered. She gestured for Zuko to follow her to the bench along one side of the house. Zuko decided to do so and took a seat on it. He was still in an unhappy mood but this girl was just too nice for him to be mean to. And he figured she had gone through enough for one day so he could at least be this appreciative of her. Ty Lee followed suit and sat down next to him.

"So…?" Zuko mumbled.

"Be honest, Zuko. Do you…not like me?" the girl asked in a hurt tone. Zuko was taken aback by this question, for it was one he least expected.

"No…what makes you think that?"

"All day you've been yelling at me and making fun of me" she whined.

"I-I'm sorry…I was confused. I don't know what to do" Zuko replied. He was not the apologetic type but something was different with this girl. She was always so happy and saw the best in everyone. She didn't deserve to be hurt or treated in such vicious manners. Seeing her upset just wasn't her nature. And Zuko certainly didn't want to be the one to bring her pain.

"What do you mean?"

"Where is my life headed? What do I do next? There's so much I don't know"

"Oh…well, I can help you if you ever need it" the girl comforted.

"That's good…"

"So, why are you always so angry?" Ty Lee smiled.

"I'm not always angry!" the prince yelled in defense of himself, laying dagger-like eyes upon the girl.

"You're never _happy_" Ty Lee countered, looking at the boy sitting less than a foot from her.

"So! That doesn't mean I'm always angry on every minute of every day!"

"See…like now. You're getting upset over nothing. I was just joking with you" Ty Lee sighed.

"You're _making_ me upset" Zuko accused.

"Well…why is it you get upset so easily?" Ty Lee asked carefully.

"I don't know," Zuko answered honestly. "And stop acting like I'm a bad person"

"You're not a bad person" Ty Lee comforted.

"…Actually…I am" Zuko spoke, much to the girl's shock, and his own. His thoughts drifted back to his uncle and how he had wronged the one man to ever accept him.

"No you're not" Ty Lee defended her childhood friend.

"I can accept it"

"Why do you think you're a bad person?" Ty Lee asked, looking at Zuko's hurt face. She wanted badly to reach out and lay a hand on his face to give a comforting gesture, but it would've been awkward, even for the affectionate Ty Lee.

"I don't want to talk about it"

"Zuko, I only want to help you. You should be more open about things like this. We'll be better friends if we know this kind of stuff about each other"

Zuko thought about this question a moment longer. If he told this girl, there was no guarantee that she wouldn't tell anyone else about it. Let alone, Azula. He felt terrible about many things, mostly of the way he wronged his uncle and allowed him to get locked up in prison. But something was different with this girl. She was easy to talk to and Zuko felt that she truly did want to help him.

"Well?" Ty Lee persisted.

"Will you…tell anyone?"

"Not if you don't want me to" the girl smiled at him.

"I…betrayed my uncle," Zuko looked down, too ashamed to look at his friend. "He was the only one to stand by me during my banishment. The only one to accept me when no one else would. The only one that ever cared about me. And I let him down…"

Ty Lee looked at the hurt young boy by her side. She couldn't help but to feel pity for him and what emotional pain he must be going through. As much as she wanted to give a comforting gesture, a hand on the shoulder or a hug, she didn't.

"I'm so sorry…that must be terrible" Ty Lee tried to help.

"You have no idea how painful it feels"

"Why don't you talk to him when we get back home?"

"He won't even look at me" Zuko nearly let a tear fall from his eye, but didn't let it. This was a side of Zuko Ty Lee never knew existed. This boy was filled with mysteries.

"I'm sure he'll give you another chance" she smiled at him, reaching out to place a hand on Zuko's shoulder. Zuko noticed the gesture but did nothing to remove the girl's hand. He could use every bit of support as of now.

"I hope so" Zuko replied. A minute of silence passed and Ty Lee tried to keep her smile as long as she could. Eventually, she removed her hand.

"You never answered my question" Ty Lee pointed out.

"What question?"

"Why you get upset so easily" Ty Lee teased, hoping she wouldn't offend the boy.

"This isn't funny" Zuko stated coldly. He had no time for jokes.

"I'm serious" Ty Lee said in such a tone that Zuko knew she meant it.

"There's many things…my life has never been easy," Zuko started. "My father…never loved me. Never cared for me. He burned his son's own face" Zuko whispered, disbelievingly, and pointed at his scar.

"I'm so sorry" Ty Lee apologized, although she had nothing to do with the subject.

"I just hate him so much…that-" he was cut off.

"You're feeling a burning rage and that makes you lose your temper easily" she finished for him and gave him a knowing smile.

"How do you know?" he asked, caught off guard by the exactness of her remark. Normally he avoided downing himself, but the girl spoke the truth.

"I know you," Ty Lee grinned. "More than you think"

"Whatever" he looked up at the girl and gave his own small smile. He felt relieved.

"Does anything else trouble you? From your childhood life?"

"I…was neglected by my father my entire life. All I ever wanted was to gain his approval and make him proud. But that never happened. Even now, when things should be perfect, they're not. It's even worse now than it ever was" Zuko finished up. He usually stayed away from the idea of sharing so much of his pain with othersbut he felt that this girl understood him. She even expressed concern and care over his well being. More than Mai did anyway. That was another thing that stung him, but not so much. Another minute of silence passed, until Ty Lee spoke again.

"You know Zuko…my life was never easy either," she started. Her voice sounded hurt also and Zuko found himself listening to her intently. "You already know that I have six sisters that look just like me. I felt as though I didn't have a name to myself. Everything I did, I never stood out for it because I was always grouped with my other sisters. My mom and dad never cared much about me either. They never paid attention to me. They probably wouldn't even care for me if I died. I bet they didn't even wonder about me ever since I ran away" Ty Lee looked down as she finished. More tears built up in the back of her eyes from this painful revelation. She didn't allow them to fall.

"I had no idea…that must hurt so much," Zuko sounded touched. He never really paid attention to this girl but he found that he had a new-found respect for her. She was strong inside, much like himself. Even through the bad atmosphere of her painful upbringing and this hate-filled war, and Azula using her couldn't be ignored, she still remained positive and sought life's greatest joys. "But…it's so unlike you. You're always so happy and everything…it doesn't make sense"

"How can I not be happy? I have a great life"

"Yeah? How so?"

"Well, you, your sister, and Mai are like my family now," she started. "I love you guys so much that there's no way I can be upset!" she cheered. Zuko wasn't surprised to see that she still kept her smile all the way through and returned her's with his own.

"That's nice to hear," Zuko smiled. "And you're making me miss my…mother. Don't do that"

"Oh…she was more of a mom to me than my own mom was. She was a great woman"

"She really was. I promised myself that I'd find her"

"I'll help you" Ty Lee offered, smiling.

"Thanks…"

"Yup! Well…what about you? What happened to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You used to be so different back then before you left. You used to play with me and Mai all the time and it was so much fun. And you even used to smile. But…" she stopped.

"I've changed, huh?" Zuko replied, giving a small chuckle. When he was around Ty Lee, his anger and frustration evaporated. Or at least most of it did. She seemed to bring out the Zuko of old from within him. The one that would have always been smiling, laughing, playing, and everything Ty Lee loved about him as a child.

"Where's the old Zuko?" she pleaded to know.

"I don't know…he's gone"

"Bring him back…for me" Ty Lee begged. She had a seeking look in her eyes when Zuko looked up at her, and it got to him. Zuko felt her scooting closer to him inch by inch until her hip nearly touched his.

"Do you like that Zuko?" the prince asked.

"I really do" Ty Lee smiled softly.

Zuko felt himself smile. Maybe there was someone in this world who actually cared for him and missed him during his absence. He looked up and saw the black sky filled with beautiful blue and white stars. They glistened very brightly. "It just doesn't seem right. I can't be myself anymore. A prince's life is never his own"

"Then can you at least smile some more?" Ty Lee smiled at him. "You look much friendlier and more…handsome when you do" she finished, finding it easy to compliment the boy.

"Uh…thanks" Zuko replied, blushing slightly. "I don't like to smile"

"You seem to smile around me a lot" she teased.

"There's no reason" he replied quickly.

"I think you like me" she joked with him some more, giggling as she did.

"W-What...? What are you talking about? I like…Mai," he countered her claim. Although that wasn't necessarily true, the idea of his former girlfriend came back to hurt him.

"Oh, I'm sorry about…_that_," Ty Lee spoke, obviously referring to Zuko's break up with Mai.

"It's not your fault," he started. "We just…she just can't keep me happy. I guess we aren't meant to be"

"That's so sad" Ty Lee comforted him.

"She can't even express herself. Talking to her is like talking to a wall" he babbled on.

"Zuko!" Ty Lee giggled. "That's mean"

"It's true"

"I suppose. But you just have to get to know her better. She's a great girl and one of my best friends"

"Not my type though" he whispered. He looked to one side and met the girl's eyes. She was playing with her fingers on her lap.

"You aren't going to try to get her back?" Ty Lee asked.

"No"

"But you really need a girlfriend _ZuZu_," Ty Lee teased. "You need someone to put a smile on your face once in a while" she finished and used her two index fingers to turn Zuko's mouth into a smile.

"Well you need to get yourself a boyfriend" he countered, slightly offended by the girl's remark, despite it being meant as nothing but a playful joke. His own joke was stupid though, because Mai assumed, and was probably right, that Ty Lee had about ten boyfriends.

"I'm looking for the right guy. Someone who's cute, funny, strong, brave, and understands me" Ty Lee pondered, looking up into the sky as if expecting the stars to give her this wonderful man.

"Oh…well I'm looking for a girl who is all of those things as well and is easy for me to be around" Zuko answered. For some reason he found himself blushing and when he looked at the girl, she seemed to be in the same situation as he was in. They couldn't be…talking about _each other_?

Subconsciously, their bodies got closer until they made contact. And Ty Lee could feel Zuko's arm snaking itself around her shoulders. Her blush intensified and she moved her head closer to Zuko's. Looking into his eyes, she saw some type of desire, and below his eyes, the star's glimmer revealed his cheeks to be of a pinkish color.

"Z-Zuko…" Ty Lee whispered nervously. Her speech was cut short when she felt the boy's lips meet hers, pinking her face even more.

Zuko slipped his tongue through Ty Lee's mouth and caressed her teeth with it. He tasted her tongue as well. Ty Lee responded by fighting Zuko's tongue with her own in a battle for supremacy. Zuko eventually let go of her tongue and teasingly chewed on her lower lip while she outlined his lips with the tip of her tongue.

To Zuko, this felt so good. This was different than kissing Mai. Much different. Unlike his former girlfriend, Ty Lee kissed him with passion. A desire for him. He actually felt something from this kiss instead of the dead, meaningless feeling he got from Mai. Thoughts of everything but Ty Lee left his mind.

To Ty Lee, this was the first time she ever kissed a boy. Sure, she'd been a flirt all her life but never was she serious enough about a boy as to kiss him. If she knew this was how it felt, she wouldn't have waited so long. She desired Zuko now, more than just his mental connection with her. And although this kiss was so wrong, for Ty Lee didn't know if Mai was ready to let Zuko go, it felt so right.

When they broke their kiss, they looked away from each other. There wasn't a word to describe how embarrassed they felt. Ty Lee's cheeks matched the color of her pink robe and Zuko's matched the color of his scar. Eventually they both turned back to look at the other.

Although they said nothing, they each knew how the other felt. Ty Lee smiled again and raised her hand to softly feel the burnt skin on one half of the boy's face. He closed his eyes and wished her to not remove her hand from his face. In response to her action, Zuko wrapped both of his arms around the girl and brought her close to him. Ty Lee used her free arm to return the boy's embrace and later brought her other arm to wrap him as well. She closed her eyes and rested her head against the boy's well built chest. Zuko closed his eyes also and laid his head atop the girl's. Her loose hair tickled his face but he didn't mind. They wee happy.

The two of them together sat on the bench, holding each other, long into the night. The moon's beautiful luster shone upon them.

**The End**

**Well, there you have it! My first attempt at a one-shot. I LUVZ Ty Luko! =)**

**Read & Review please! You don't have to be logged in!**

**=)**

**Later!**


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